Letter to the Editor: Reduce, reuse and recycle

Covanta Union the operator of your local energy-from-waste facility, is celebrating the fifth anniversary of our Clean World Initiative (CWI) – a program developed to bring sustainability to every facet of our company’s business, including facility operations, research and development, the advancement of solid waste management and community partnerships and programs.

In the five short years of the CWI, we have achieved some significant milestones. They include:

Reliability and Emissions Reduction:
Covanta Union has maintained world-class reliability, with one of the highest boiler availability rates in the power-generating industry while also reducing emissions. We have successfully cut hydrogen chloride emissions by 50% over the past five years. When aggregating “all” emissions, Covanta Energy-from-Waste facilities perform 65% below the Environmental Protection Agency’s requirements.

Advancing Sustainable Waste Management:
Covanta Union annually recycles 15,000 tons of metal that would otherwise be lost in landfills – the equivalent weight of 10,000 hybrid cars. In addition, Covanta Union has diverted over 2 tons of electronic waste materials for recycling through employee collections and tipping floor inspection programs.

Community Focus and Partnerships:
Covanta’s long history of community engagement is far-reaching and an integral part of our Clean World Initiative. Throughout the year, Union County held several household hazardous waste collection days where Union County residents turned in over 150 mercury thermostats for proper disposal. Since 2008, Covanta Union has partnered with the NJDEP, Division of Forestry and the USDA to help eradicate the Asian Longhorned Beetle through the processing of over 3000 tons of wood chips which were identified as being contaminated with this invasive species. Covanta Union has also collected approximately 500 tons of materials through the Fishing for Energy program designed to keep fishing nets from being disposed of in the ocean waters.

We encourage Union County to join us in our commitment to sustainability by reducing, reusing and recycling. To learn more about the Clean World Initiative and Covanta’s efforts to improve environmental, health and safety performance, visit, www.covantaenergy.com/what-we-do/sustainability.aspx.